Some of the bearings had to be replaced and there were many little repairs that occupied a couple of days.
Then all rested from their labors on the third day, which was the Sabbath. A quiet day was made of it and the arrangement was that the start was to be made the next morning.
Barney was the first abroad and was quickly made acquainted with an incident which thrilled him greatly.
The river was but a few yards distant. He walked leisurely down to the shore to get a bucket of water when he heard a cry for help.
It was rendered in a foreign tongue which he did not understand. Barney looked up in amazement and saw drifting down on the current of the river a raft upon which was a half-naked man.
A fearful specimen of humanity he was, and Barney gazed at him in stupefaction.
“Mither av mercy!” he gasped. “Phwativer can it be?”
Indeed there was good cause for Barney’s horrified remark.
The occupant of the raft was a powerful-framed man, evidently a Russian, with full beard and long straggling locks.
His face was ghastly white and he clung feebly to the raft and waved his arms wildly.